Dreams of the Uchiha: Part 2
by JeffC FTW
Summary: In the "Road to Ninja" universe of the Infinite Tsukuyomi, Hanaru is fed up with life in Konoha and leaves home to seek a new life. In doing so, she encounters the mercenary group Akatsuki and its leader - her childhood sweetheart, her reason to seek a new purpose. Ninth in the Uchiha Series.


**Part two of "Dreams of the Uchiha" - but this time it is in "Road to Ninja" universe. :D That movie was really fun, though the majority of the fandom called it an excuse for NaruSaku, except I didn't care to see it that way. This was harder than its predecessor, because since the Akatsuki are mercenaries for hire no matter what it is, and Hanaru is a part of it now. In RTN, the characters are reversed in nature, which means she shall be...**

 **Only Hanaru is mine (really belongs to my best friend).**

Her little brother was really something else. She used to love him, but he was such a brat that she couldn't stand being around him anymore. He had such a tantrum that could push everyone's limits, and you'd have to wonder what was so special about him, but he was also one of the best and promising - except the attention was diverted notably on Sakura Haruno, the child of the two heroes who sacrificed their lives to save the village. Her father was the Fourth Hokage - a position Minato Namikaze, Hanaru and Menma's father, would have inherited if only things hadn't been simply because of this:

Peace time meant a civilian could lead peaceful times. Kizashi Haruno had served in the last war, having been a simple civilian who was chosen in the ranks because of a lacking in Shinobi, and his wife was skilled in sealing thanks to being friends with Kushina.

If you asked Hanaru Namikaze, her parents were greater Shinobi than those two ever were. Simply placed in the seat because of technicality. "Becoming Hokage isn't about getting people to acknowledge you; only those acknowledged can EVER be Hokage" - yeah, right. Itachi told her those words when they were younger, and he himself could have been elected because he was just as much as her father. And right now, since Kizashi and Mebuki died that night, Tsunade, granddaughter of the first Hokage and renowned war medic, became the fifth and current.

Hanaru had nothing against the woman, but why did her father have to -? She failed her train of thought so many times. When she tried telling her mother her thoughts, Kushina boxed the back of her head for such lack of respect. "I swear, I wonder where your father and I went wrong with you and your brother!" she said once, which stung the daughter to her core.

 _Sometimes love isn't enough, is it? Family, friends and romantic alike._

And if you wanted to know about her feelings for Itachi, yes she did love him. Since they were kids, of course. He never told her, but she was certain he felt the same way. It wasn't openly confessed like in the pretty little love stories, nor was it like the competitive battle for affection like it was between Sakura Haruno and Hinata Hyuuga over Menma. Oh, how Hanaru couldn't stand it when he complained to her when they were alone! It was so annoying that she was glad she had nobody fighting over her like that. And it was another thing that her parents joked to her about. Her mom even begged her to hurry up so she could be a grandma, which pissed Hanaru off to no end.

Love wasn't something you rushed based on someone else's opinion. And it certainly wasn't like the other girls would feel. That kind of emotion made you blind and foolish. She was FAR from that and knew it.

As for her love, Itachi was hailed a hero because his clan had plotted to take over leadership of the village, being distrusted by Senju-leds, although Tsunade's efforts weren't enough to satisfy the Uchiha. They placed Itachi in ANBU as a spy to get close to the higher-ups, but it was their precious little agent who saw the village more important as he was aware of what his kin was capable of. He snitched on them to Lady Tsunade, who then issued him the mission to attempt to persuade the Uchiha to see reason, or at least delay the coup...but Danzo had other means to resolve this. That manipulative bastard. Tsunade didn't wish this, but the change of plan which was Danzo's way was the eradication of the Uchiha clan.

All but Itachi and his younger brother Sasuke remained.

Despite it being against the Hokage's orders, the man she loved was called a hero for saving the village. Although that had sparked worries that the people would question the village leadership - but Tsunade issued the truth in that it was all against Hokage's orders and labeled as Danzo Shimura's doing without her permission. Sasuke looked up at his older brother with confused, broken emotions, but it was a surprise he didn't turn on Itachi.

Hanaru was only ten when she found this out, and Menma eight. It was then that she knew she fell in love with Itachi Uchiha. However, little did she really know the extent of the trauma it left on his soul compared to the Third Great War. And when he left his brother here in the village, on his own, he just up and disappeared without even telling HER.

You would call what she had an obsession, but he was all she knew, all who understood her. Plus his clan wouldn't have accepted her had they'd been around, if he did choose her as his wife like she dreamed of. Maybe it was cruel and sinful, but she was glad the Uchiha clan was gone. She'd heard they were arrogant and self-righteous, but not him. Not his dead cousin Shisui. And not Sasuke.

It took her less than a decade to relocate him, outside the village when she was finished with assignment, and because Lady Fifth granted her permission as long as she did not go off the grid. And when she finally found him, she decided that she couldn't stand living without him - and she wanted more outside this village. What was she besides an exceptional _kunoichi?_ The daughter of two greater ones and the elder sister of a little emo brat, with few close friends in her life, and what else to live for?

Itachi was the only one to ever understand her. So, she missed her old friend and great love that she wanted to speak to him herself. She wanted to know if he cared about her - if he _did_ careat all. She wanted to know if he changed from the boy she remembered. _A boy with the mentality and soul of a man._

It was a selfish decision, going after the man you loved, but she couldn't stand living like this anymore. She wanted to move forward with her life.

She told her parents she was heading out of the village on a long-term assignment given by the Hokage, which made things more harder than she thought - made her feel more selfish and like a monster when she embraced them. _Am I doing the wrong thing - or should I keep following my heart?_ And when she told her brother bye and hugged him, he didn't even weep, but he wished her safety. Could he be more emotionless than that?

Hanaru Uzumaki Namikaze then left the gates of the Village Hidden in the Leaves for an entirely different purpose she still had no idea was the right decision compared to the ones she made in her career.

~o~

Perhaps he underestimated her when she found him five years after he left Konoha. There were too many memories, and Sasuke could not be burdened with someone like him, so he believed he was doing the right thing in leaving his _otouto_ in the village, as long as he occasionally sent him coded letters to keep him updated. Lady Hokage allowed him to remain on the payroll, but not as he once was. He chose to continue watching Konoha from the shadows, but on a full-time scale, he needed a means to earn a living and survive.

When he spoke to the Hokage in private, she suggested that he gather a group to form a mercenary organization for hire. If he did that, then they would serve as backup to shorthanded Shinobi in dire need. They could also serve as assassins against illegal businessmen who threatened the existence of one nation or smaller village.

Itachi had no name until he ventured into Sunagakure and came across Sasori when he heard the rumors going around about the rumors of the villages that dotted Wind Country were all annihilated in a single night. The redhead saw him as an addition to make as a human puppet, but he was no match for Itachi of the Sharingan.

They made an uneasy alliance when they were then approached by the man known as Pain and Konan, his right hand. Their village was smaller than the surrounding five nations and shaken tremendously by the last great war years ago...but then their village was eventually destroyed by the famine and many deaths, forcing everyone to scatter about. Now the Hidden Rain Village was nothing but ruins of what it once was, and these two needed a new purpose after losing one of their own and winning the civil war.

Himself, Sasori, Pain and Konan formed - Itachi appointed as the leader based on a vote - and the name of their organization became known as _Akatsuki._ The name meant the end of their old lives and beginning of a new one together. Each member had their own story and reason to join.

"As leader, I say now that we are to protect those in need - but we are also to not get too involved in other matters that do not concern us," Itachi stated strongly, firmly, when they formed their signature cloaks and then slashed their headbands to signify the severance of their old ties to home. Whether it was offense or not was of little concern.

Pain and Konan seemed to have no quarrels regarding the morale of the Akatsuki, and when it came to business, it would mean _business._ In fact, even if limits were placed, killing was still killing. Itachi thought that when he left, there would be no blood to stain his hands any longer, but the past would follow him everywhere he went. His hands were too dirty to be cleansed. He was never clean, not since the day he was born during one of the greatest, most violent eras in history.

Sasori loathed being around people, since his work required his own space, but the Akatsuki needed the best manpower, and where would you find someone willing?

When they found Deidara, he was no different. From Earth Country, he was an explosive expert, having been exiled due to irresponsibility and risked several lives of his own comrades. Like Sasori, he lost to Itachi Uchiha. And it was humorous to watch the two artists clash - explosion versus immortality.

And speaking of immortality, that was where Kakuzu and Hidan came in. It was perhaps easy to lure the zombie-like man from the Waterfall Village because he loved nothing more than a fortune to make - and he was difficult to kill based on the fact his body was constructed to allow four foreign hearts around his own.

Nobody really liked Hidan, but tolerated him to a degree, and he was good at the job. Aside from constantly attempting to get people to convert to his death god Jashin, you could not kill him either. Paired with Kakuzu, the Zombie Duo, as Kisame called them, was a pair the target would not stand a chance against.

That was when the Monster of the Hidden Mist himself came in. He was known for slaughtering his comrades as a test of loyalty, as well as suspected of the murder of a feudal lord. It was Pain who suggested bringing in the shark-like man into their ranks. He was one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, bearing the shark blade Samehada. Extra strength in itself was also necessary. But then Kisame Hoshigaki had to come and see the leader, Itachi Uchiha, personally when they were alone one day on the dock above the water which was swimming with great whites. He called it a thrill to kill your comrades as the Uchiha had done to his own brethren, assuming that it was why he'd originally left his village and founded the Akatsuki.

"You know nothing about me," Itachi said coldly. "I killed my clan for very different reasons unlike you. I am free to return home anytime I wish, but you...you're just a monster who was lost in the mist. This is where I am different from the lot of you."

Kisame grinned, slinging Samehada from his shoulder and pointing it at Itachi, resting it on his shoulder. He could feel the jagged, raw power. _Not only would it slice, but it would tear muscle from bone._ He returned the warning by turning on the Mangekyo Sharingan pinwheels in his irises, which only made the leer wider. They understood each other well.

"We all have our reasons being here, don't we, Itachi?"

"Indeed."

The Akatsuki became well-known in under a decade's time. Which had then sparked the attention of the one who found them when their latest job involved an underground trafficking of young children - which happened to be what SHE had discovered on her own and ran into them.

Did she honestly think she could get the leader all by himself? She just went in so recklessly, as pointed out by Sasori.

He remembered all too well: the multiple shadow clones of herself and the chains of sealing to hold those after her down, which made her enemies cower with fear at the sight of her - and it made his fellow Akatsuki stunned and impressed, as well as each with his or her own opinion. Kisame snickered. "Hanaru Uzumaki Namikaze, is it? I have heard of her. She's very well-known as her family. Itachi, didn't you know her once?"

"...a long time ago." _And now the rest raise their voices._

"Un, that's a wildcat who chains down her human enemies. I must say that look is artsy in itself," Deidara stated, eyes twinkling.

Sasori wrinkled his nose. "If I had my way, I see her as the perfect puppet princess among my collection -" He was greeted from Itachi's furious Sharingan as well as the raise of Samehada as a warning. Kisame was ready to shred him for such thoughts, all for the Uchiha...who was feeling something he realized he forgot when he left Konoha. He'd had his thoughts primarily on his brother that he cursed himself for not considering his old friend and comrade.

 _Hanaru...you've improved since last time I saw you._

"...the Akatsuki could use one more feminine addition," Konan spoke softly, clearly more impressed than the rest of the men were. "Itachi, unless you object..." He shook his head without a word, which voiced a few whistles, mostly from Hidan and Deidara, and they were both whacked on the backs of the heads by their partners for silence.

Kakuzu snorted. "If she's just as she looks, she'd better be capable of doing it for the profit. Itachi, I hope that you don't pick her because of personal feelings." He fell silent when the Uchiha turned his deadly eyes on him, too. If he could put him out with the black flames of Amaterasu, he could. This the man with five hearts got and said no more.

The group was hiding out in the shadows, outside the compound where the chaos was taking place. She found herself surrounded by more of the target's men coming to point their weapons her way, and it seemed like she was going to be taken down by the numbers - but then what she said, or rather "mouthed", made them stand down, and they lowered their weapons. Itachi could make out the word _Akatsuki_ on her lips.

She KNEW they were there.

All of which narrowed down to this: she'd been searching for them all this time, for _him._

"Leave this to me," Itachi said, stepping out and announcing his presence, which caused every man to step back with fear of the leader of the Akatsuki himself. "Hanaru Uzumaki."

Their eyes met - blue against red.

He stood tall and regal in his black cloak printed with red clouds. There she was in an update of what he remembered: fishnet sleeves and leggings beneath a dark blue tank and black shorts, and the known Shinobi sandals. Her hair had once been long to reach her waist, held in two pigtails, but now it was cropped short to touch her shoulders. "Itachi Uchiha," she answered back, one hand on her tool belt, the other holding a kunai at the side. "The man I was looking for."

"So I have gathered. It's been a long time, but I wish we could have more time to catch up on the old days," he said. "I deciphered why you are here, so meet the rest of the Akatsuki."

At the mention, the rest stepped out of the hiding place, which caused everyone to shrink and try to flee only to be trapped by Konan's paper jutsu covering the windows and all known exits. They weren't going anywhere. Hanaru noticed with a glittering eye.

"You're their leader," she told Itachi, who nodded.

"And as leader, I speak for everyone. You are welcomed into the Akatsuki, but on the next job we have, we await to see your capabilities." This test was hardly necessary. She was far from being a weak little girl, but if any of the men thought that way, the best to close their traps once and for all was for them to see it themselves. Konan was more than qualified, but Hanaru appeared as a delicate flower compared to her.

 _The sealing chains weren't enough. But these men - except Kisame and Pain - need more than once to be convinced._

~o~

Well, if she wanted to prove herself, it wasn't meant to be given on a gold or even a silver platter. When were their lives ever handed without cost?

Itachi had changed in appearance - that cloak, the lines beneath his eyes deepened - and he was the Akatsuki leader. He was...definitely different, and not at the same time. He saw everything she did, as did his fellow Akatsuki. Every single one of them were very interesting, a few of them standing out as monsters. One looked like a shark, his headband signifying he was from Kiri, and there were also two from Rain, the rest from either Sand, Rock, Waterfall and Hot Water. Itachi really did know how to pick them.

That blue-haired lady among them, the very beautiful one, had sealed away every exit with _paper._ It didn't seem like much compared to the rest of the men, but holy hell, she stopped the targets from fleeing. Hanaru eventually learned her name was Konan, and she came to see her as her only female friend here among men.

The rest of the guys obviously saw her as just a pretty little girl compared to them, despite seeing what she could do - but just wait till they got subjected to her mother's clan's technique. They totally saw they were not just dealing with a little girl from their leader's past.

Kisame Hoshigaki, on the other hand, respected her and stood behind her like a protector.

There was also the man known as Pain, who held the might and power of a fearsome god. He could have been the leader for all they cared, but he'd been the leader of an organization in the last great war; the terrible trauma destroyed any hopes of the future for him and Konan, as well as those who died. _People they respected and cared about._

The target she and Konan were assigned to had the drop on him. Both women were tasked to infiltrate a whorehouse where a rogue ninja from Suna - a rather handsome man of the desert who was the same age as Itachi - was hiding out, and the Kazekage hired the Akatsuki to take him out.

Itachi trusted her enough to handle the job, and Konan with her. The blue-haired woman posed as a bar wench while she herself was getting into a revealing belly dancer garment of gold and white, swaying her hips and leading the way into one of the back rooms, teasing him and asking him to get comfortable while she prepped the room. That meant slipping behind him just as he turned his back, pushing down his pants...

...and he barely had time to register what was happening when her knife found its way to his throat, killing him without warning and without splattering blood all over the room. Although a few droplets stained her skirt, which was hardly a problem to her. Hanaru then spoke into the earpiece to her partner, letting her know the job was done.

The corpse was to be disposed off instantly, so Amaterasu finished the job off. While it burned into nothing left, the guys cheered her on her success. But there was one who mattered most.

She and Itachi's relationship would eventually grow from there when he looked down at her, congratulating her and stating he knew she could do this from the beginning - and then leaned in to whisper to her that someday soon he would consider taking her as his partner for life. That could mean only one thing. It wasn't traditional romance by any means, but the right time and a long time in waiting.

Itachi was asking her to marry him, in front of everyone without a care, and without a second thought. Then he tilted her face up to him, and placed his mouth on hers which earned whistles, hoots and catcalls. Her body blazed to life when his arms wrapped around her, bringing her close to him.

 _Itachi...I've made the right decision coming out here just for you. I love you so much..._

He smiled into her hair when she whispered the words aloud to him, low from the others but loud for just the two of them - and then it wasn't long before she felt something being fastened around her neck. Looking down, Hanaru saw a golden piece glittering with rainbow fire suspended around her neck. It resembled a star shard, sparkling in her eyes.

This was Itachi's way of proposing to her without a ring being involved.

~o~

 _Light overcame her vision._

 _What was happening?_

 _Her body felt light and was drifting to another place...away from the perfect land of no worries..._

 _There is no such thing as a happily ever after._

~o~

The first thing that she registered was the darkness that appeared before her eyes, then she moved and felt around herself, her hands touching something like paperweight but also leafy. _Leaves wrapped around me?!_ Panic shoved down, she was able to push on and then tear apart the seams so she breathed fresh air - and was washed over with sunlight.

 _Fresh air...wait._ Did that mean -?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the muffled cries of an infant that made her leap off the bed and find the source. The little bundle on the floor in the drawer she'd pulled out for him, for the night, was covered with the same damned pasty white bandages, and she threw herself on her knees, furiously tearing them apart until she saw her baby boy alive and well, but wailing with his eyes squeezed shut.

"Ren, oh, my God!" she anguished, picking him up and holding him close to her, his head resting against her shoulder. He whimpered and tapped his little hands against her shoulder and chest. "My baby, you're okay!"

If they were both here, holding each other, then that could mean one thing indeed: the Infinite Tsukuyomi had been broken. Her brother, Sasuke and the others - they had done it! She could hear the people in the streets shouting for joy, meeting up with whoever was out there in this instant, but right now, Hanaru Uchiha was on her knees with her son in her arms, and while she cherished living the dreams she wanted, cruel reality made her remember.

Itachi was gone.

He was really gone, but he was with them spiritually. She stood up then, dusting herself off whilst patting Ren on the back. She then went to the window and looked outside to see the people in the streets greeting those she recognized as Shinobi coming back in. All battered and filthy from days of battle, some seriously wounded and needed more medical attention...and then she saw one that stood out from the crowd, holding onto his right lower arm which she noticed was missing, but there was no mistaking the features of their father.

 _Naruto._

Hanaru had to remind herself that the warm welcome wouldn't be like in the dream, because as far as anyone was concerned, she was a stranger who needed evaluation. And that also made her worry for her son's future. Ren would NOT grow up being an outcast because of who his father was. Sasuke was going to be there for them - but it seemed she spoke too soon.

Her brother-in-law was present, but his lower left arm was also missing, yet he also seemed to be doing well as her brother. Except he had what looked like sealing tags over his eyes, and he was surrounded by Leaf Shinobi. Cold terror washed over her as she knew what was happening. But she wasn't going to just stand by any longer.

Mustering up the courage, Hanaru left the room with the baby in her arms, and went out to join the mass. She was going to fight her way through to see her baby brother if that was the last thing she would do. Even if they didn't believe her, how could they not perform a DNA test?

 **I was crying out of stress, to be honest, while I was doing this. Because for two reasons. One: you're under pressure by the readers when they see they want MORE, the opposite of you seeing it's perfect as it is, and it feels NATURAL to you. Secondly: it's necessary as part of the series.**

 **Really, this felt OOC, but in RTN, that was also the purpose, wasn't it? Plus it was nice and fun to do something different. :) Reviews appreciated.**


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